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Greenhouse solution is blowing in the wind

Cattle
Scientists say livestock produce 14 percent of Australia's greenhouse gases  


By CNN's Grant Holloway

PERTH, Australia -- Research scientists in Australia have come up with a novel and productive way to cut greenhouse gas emissions -- a vaccine that targets flatulent sheep and burping cows.

Methane gas produced by livestock accounts for 14 percent of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, while across the Tasman it makes up half of New Zealand's total.

But a vaccine about to be tested on more than 1 million Australian animals promises to cut these emissions by up to 20 percent.

Dr. Rob Kelly from the livestock division of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia told CNN scientists had been working on the methane problem for about 10 years.

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Originally the work was focused on improving stock productivity as methane is a waste product that inhibits the efficiency of an animal's growth.

But as greenhouse gas concerns grow, the potential value of the research has risen, particularly as methane is 20 times more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Kelly hopes to have more than 1 million cattle and 2 million sheep in Australia vaccinated each year from 2005.

He estimates by doing this Australia can cut its greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.

No known side effects

The vaccine works by reducing the number of micro-organisms in the animals' gut that break down feed and cause methane to be produced. So far there have been no known side-effects other than an improvement in animal weight and better wool production for sheep.

"It is a simple technology, and we don't believe it will be a costly vaccine to produce," Kelly said.

The vaccine could be commercially available by 2005 and Kelly said CSIRO is talking to a number of vaccine companies.

He is hopeful more research could result in an even greater reduction of the amount of methane produced by livestock.







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